Great Plains is a brand of business software that was purchased by Microsoft in 2001. Since then Microsoft has rebranded the software to Microsoft Dynamics and has discontinued support for the system. However, Great Plains was a popular program in its day and many people still use it. While this system is spoken of highly by many of its users, all software has its flaws. Here are some of the most common pet peeves of people who are using Great Plains for accounting today.

A Lack of Support

Because Microsoft stopped offering support for Great Plains Accounting in 2008, it can be difficult to find solutions for your problems. If you have been using the software for a while, you may be able to figure new problems out for yourself. However, if you are coming into a new job without any prior knowledge of the program you can easily find yourself lost. This is especially true if no one else in your office is familiar with the program. Trial and error may be your only option, which can become downright panic-inducing if it is taking place during the end of the fiscal year. Upgrading can be pricy, but if you find yourself in this position it may be your best solution.

Default User Dates

Every time a person logs into a company on Great Plains, the user date defaults to the current day. This is understandable, but it can also lead to some snarls. The most common is when a user gets the message “the user date falls within a fiscal year that hasn’t been set up.” This is most likely to occur when trying to print out a report for a different year.  The problem can be corrected by changing the user date on the toolbar to the year of the desired report. However, this has to be done every time you log in.

Lack of Intuitive Solutions

With experience Great Plains can be easy to use, but when starting out users often find that the solutions they seek do not easily spring to mind. This can relate to formatting issues or when trying to correct information that the system has automatically added. Options may be grayed out without explanation or boxes unchecked for no apparent reason. These issues tend to be more prominent on older versions of the program, but many users find that it difficult to find a solution to their problems through trial and error. The best way for a Great Plains user to find answer to a problem of this nature is to talk to someone who has used the program before or to find a forum online to talk with other users.

Problems with Language Settings

Great Plains has some sensitivities to the default language settings that can result in frustrating or seemingly unexplained errors. A common message you may see is “all call stacks are in use. Cannot stat script,” when opening the Transaction Entry window in the General Ledger. You may also have difficulty with login or starting the program. The problem can be resolved by changing your computer’s language setting to United States English and disabling the “perform translation for character data” option in the ODBC configuration.  If this does not work, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the program.

Great Plains Accounting is a popular and highly regarded form of software. While some users may experience problems, many do not. It can be frustrating to start using the program without much support, but with time most of the common pet peeves associated with this program will become less and less of a problem.

Sarah Jackson is a freelance writer and editor who remembers when Great Plains was a little more great by comparison, but does greatly appreciate many oher fine offerings from Microsoft.

Share to Explore !!

Facebook

Digg

Pinterest

Twitter

Reddit

Linkedin

StumbleUpon

Tumblr

Print

email

Yummly

Buffer

Income drawdown can provide a great way to keep you financially comfortable in later life. Here’s a look at how it works.

A Quick Look at Annuities

Income drawdown isn’t complicated, but it can be a little confusing if you’re only familiar with the annuity model of pensions. Annuities work like this: you make regular payments into your pension throughout your working life, and when you retire you use that money to purchase an annuity. An annuity is a financial product that guarantees you a fixed income until the day you die.

The problem with this model is that it may not provide for your needs. Annuity rates are dependent on market conditions, so when you go to retire, there is a chance that you may receive a poor rate. Although the payment is fixed, inflation means that it will decrease each year in real terms.

How Income Drawdown is Different

Instead of cashing in your pension on retirement day, income drawdown allows you to make regular cash withdrawals from your pension, within certain limits. You can vary the payments you receive according to your needs, and the money that you’ve invested will continue to grow.

To avail of income drawdown, you’ll need to choose a financial product such as a SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) with drawdown functionality. SIPPs also offer a huge range of investment choices, giving you the opportunity to grow your fund even further.

What Kind of Payments Can I Get?

There are two types of payment available in an income drawdown pension:

• Tax-free cash: 25% of your fund is available tax-free and can be withdrawn in instalments or taken as a one-off lump sum.
• Income: Of the remaining 75%, you can withdraw money as and when you choose. These payments are subject to income tax, and their is a limit to how much you can withdraw each year. This limit is often referred to as the GAD Max, and you can withdraw up to your GAD Max each year. Whether you take this as a monthly payment or an annual lump sum is up to you.

How is My GAD Max Calculated

There are three factors in deciding your GAD limits. Your age and the value of the pension are both taken into consideration, with the intention that your income payments should be balanced in order to ensure a regular pension for the rest of your life. Gilt Yields, a figure issued each month by the Treasury, are also taken into account.

Your GAD Max is recalculated every three years, although in some circumstances you will be able to request a recalculation before then.

When Can I Start Taking Income Drawdown Payments?

You can begin drawing down form your pension at any time after the age of 55. You don’t need to have actually retired, although if you are still in employment then you’ll be liable to pay the same amount of income tax that you would pay on your normal salary.

Income drawdown payments can be reduced, increased (within GAD limits), stopped and restarted as you see fit.

Will I One Day Have to Purchase an Annuity?

No, you can continue to receive income payments for as long as you like. If you would like to purchase an annuity later on, you can do so with your remaining pension fund.

Are There Any Disadvantages to Income Drawdown?

Your pension payments are not guaranteed as they would be under an annuity arrangement. In order to keep receiving payments, you will need to have money in your pension and a bad investment choice may see your pension lose its value. This is why many income drawdown products are sold on an advice-only basis; it is recommend that you speak to a financial adviser before investing in such a product.

Share to Explore !!

Facebook

Digg

Pinterest

Twitter

Reddit

Linkedin

StumbleUpon

Tumblr

Print

email

Yummly

Buffer

Since 1869, the Suez Canal has served as one of the world’s most important waterways, allowing convoys of large freights to travel easily between Asia and Europe without navigating around the African continent. The 193-mile artificial waterway took a decade to build and has seen multiple enlargements over the years. Today the canal supports 8% of the world’s shipping traffic and is used by the world’s largest shipping companies to transport goods. Of course, such convenience comes at a price, and it’s just been announced that the cost of transit on the Suez Canal will now rise by as much as 5%.

The Suez Canal Authority (SCA) in Egypt has implemented the following increases in tolls:

• 5% for ships carrying oil and petroleum products
• 2% for container ships and vessels transporting cars
• 3% for all other ships

Strengthening the Suez

The increase follows a number of recent studies conducted by the SCA, which took a close look at marine traffic on the Suez Canal as well as the waterway’s toll revenues; findings revealed that in 2012, the canal was used by a total of 17 252 ships and 932.43 million tonnes of cargo – ultimately yielding revenues of $5 129 600 000. With the Suez Canal accounting for a significant part of Egypt’s GDP, and a major source of foreign currency, the Government hopes that the toll increases will help to further boost toll revenues and avert a currency crisis. The worldwide effect on trade and shipping traffic remains to be seen in the coming months, but the increase could see more freight owners choosing alternative routes or weighing the cost of the Panama Canal against the Suez.

Rail and Road Links

The Government has also announced that plans are underway to build three tunnels under the canal; two of these 3km long, 12.2m wide) will be used for road links and one longer tunnel (5km long, 12.2m wide) will be dedicated to a rail transport project. This move is part of a larger regional development plan. Hatem Abdel Latif, Egyptian Minister for Transport, told press that the tunnels will contribute to expansion in North Sinai and complete the extension of the coastal road between Rafah and Nuweiba.

As Egypt’s foreign currency reserves begin to dwindle, it is vital that the Government protect this valuable source of foreign income, and look at innovative projects like the Suez Canal rail and road tunnel construction in order to strengthen the country’s economy and trade connections alike.

Share to Explore !!

Facebook

Digg

Pinterest

Twitter

Reddit

Linkedin

StumbleUpon

Tumblr

Print

email

Yummly

Buffer

1. Your Success Is Determined By Your Effort

The sales industry is heavily based on rewarding the salesperson’s effort with success. A salesperson that does not put in a hundred percent of their effort will sometimes make nothing at all if they are on a commission basis. On the other hand, sales staff that put in all of their time and effort can often make far beyond what their peers are making. Sales positions are not traditional positions even when they are salaried because bonuses and promotions are all merit-based. In many industries a person can become successful simply by showing up and doing their job adequately. Sales is not one of these industries.

2. Relationships Are Everything

In sales positions a good sales team member will need to have a good relationship with their boss, co-workers and clients. While this is true in most positions it is more vital in a sales position because everyone is working together as a team. Those who cannot have good relationships with their clients will not be able to sell as much but they also can’t neglect their relationship with their co-workers. Co-workers can make or break a salesperson’s career by sharing leads and generally making their life easier. Because of the high churn of the sales industry it’s also not uncommon to suddenly find a co-worker becoming a boss and this is where previous relationships will often pay off.

3. It’s Demanding

A sales job is usually not an ordinary 40 hour a week position. Most sales jobs require that the sales person work far beyond a regular work day and many skilled sales professionals will be doing their work and their research out of hours and often at home. Because sales positions are so high pressure and because a sales professional makes as much money as they work for it can be necessary for a sales professional to put in an extensive effort to become successful.

4. Determination Is Required

Sales positions offer a lot of room to grow but only for those who are determined and willing to be constantly pushing to move upwards. Sales is extremely competitive and that means that sales people need to be constantly improving their sales techniques and their numbers. Those who allow themselves to slip may find themselves losing a lot of traction in their professional life.

5. Confidence and Leadership Is Key

Sales is all about people skills and those who do not have the confidence to lead will not find themselves going very far. There are many seminars and programs available to help those who need to develop their personal and professional skills and many sales people will find these opportunities very rewarding. While client sales may be based on confidence, leadership is required to grow and advance in a sales career. A successful sales professional needs to be able to inspire those who work under them to be the best salespeople that they can be.

To check out some options, Randstad offer sales jobs for many companies that cover all interests.

Nicole is a recruitment agent and has been for the past 5 years. She aims to help her clients find jobs and guide them in the right direction. She started writing blogs to share her knowledge to others who are looking for general help and ideas to get them started on their career.

Share to Explore !!

Facebook

Digg

Pinterest

Twitter

Reddit

Linkedin

StumbleUpon

Tumblr

Print

email

Yummly

Buffer

Now that we have entered the information age, our data is regularly being logged into many different websites through many different devices, all of which is putting our identity at risk. Along with that, with so many more things that can be done online, from loan and mortgage applications, purchasing of items big and small and even booking holidays: the level of risk associated with identity theft and the ease of using another persons details to make purchases makes protecting your identity all the more important. Today we are going to go through three tips to protect your online identity:

1.)  Use strong passwords

If you are logging in to various services with passwords, make those passwords as strong as possible by using capital letters, numbers and symbols to make your password less easy to guess. Identity thieves use programs that can enter a whole dictionary of words into a password box within minutes – which means that any password that is based on a standard word such as “cheese” is a weak password that practically invites people to steal your identity. If you have a poor memory, there are ways to strengthen and secure passwords without making them difficult to remember – and you can do this by pretending your password is a car number plate and adding your favourite symbol at the end, so “cheese” can become “Ch33se?”, “blue” can become “blu3!” and so on and so forth…you get the drift!

2.)  Delete your browsing history and cookies when you have finished

If you are using a smart device or a shared computer then always make sure you delete the stored information in the browsers keychain when you are done. If you are not very web savvy and that all sounds like gobbledygook to you, don’t worry! When you have your browser open, select “history” and find the “delete browsing history” option – remembering to delete cookies and other saved information. The reason for this is that your browser will remember your passwords and automatically log in the next person who visits a website which requires your login information. Once someone has logged into one of your accounts, they not only have access to your credit card details, but also your mothers maiden name, your secret password, your address, paypal details – the whole hog! Better to not give anyone such access by deleting the information stored in the browser you are using.  If you are accessing information via your phone, rather than go through the process of deleting every thing each time you have used it, you can choose to go incognito which means that none of your browsing history is stored: ever. This is easily done through the settings on your phone.

3.)  Do not respond to emails asking you for information

One easy way to steal people’s data, is to redirect them to a fake website that looks and feels like a genuine website: and then making them enter their details for your own person use. This is called “phishing” and will most often come in the form of Facebook or bank information that requires your instant response. Rather than respond to such emails by clicking on the links they provide, visit the website directly to make sure the email is genuine, and without risking a visit to a fake website that is trying to steal your details.

Brendon is an image rights writer based in Guernsey. He loves to help people protect themselves from identity theft.

Share to Explore !!

Facebook

Digg

Pinterest

Twitter

Reddit

Linkedin

StumbleUpon

Tumblr

Print

email

Yummly

Buffer